During the SpaceTech Expo in May 2016, Planetary Radio host, Mat Kaplan sat down with Dion Jackson, AMP SoCal Program Director, and Dr. Marie Talnack, Director of Cal Poly Pomona’s Technology Transfer Office and Industry Clinic, and the AMP SoCal Infrastructure and Site Development Committee Chair, as well as AMP SoCal Research & Innovation Committee Vice-Chair. The episode highlights the role of small and medium manufacturers in creating the vessels and vehicles used for space exploration, and AMP SoCal, with its network of partners dedicated to supporting aerospace manufacturing was the perfect spokesperson for acknowledging the importance of the industry.

Planetary Radio is part of the Planetary Society, a non-profit organization founded in 1980 by visionary astronomers, Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman, to inform and engage the public in all matters related to space exploration. One way the Planetary Society reaches and educates people is through a weekly radio show that is broadcast on public radio stations around the country, as well as through iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher and other online podcast platforms. The show features guests, which include scientists, engineers, astronauts and advocates, who provide their expert understanding into the exciting fields and ventures that foster exploration of our planets and beyond.